Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility

Use the information below to assist you in creating more accessible PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint presentations need to accessible in both the physical classroom and online. For more in-depth tutorials, please see Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities.

Font size

Use a minimum font size of 18 points. If the presentation is meant to be displayed in a classroom, make sure the font size is large enough for students at the back of the room to see.

Reading order

Use the preset slide layouts. These layouts will preserve the reading order of text and other elements on your slides.

If you decide to manually create text boxes instead of using the preset slide layouts, they need to be placed onto the slide in reading order. This does not refer to positioning, but rather the order in which the text box was placed onto the side. The reading order can easily be checked or changed by using the Reading Order pane.

Images and graphics

Include alt text for all pictures, tables, graphs, charts and graphics. Alt text is a description of images or other objects that have a visual component. Screen reading software reads the description out loud. If the picture or graphic is only used for decoration, select “Mark as decorative” in the alt text options. This tells screen reading software to disregard it.

Color

Make sure that there is appropriate contrast between the text color and background. Light-colored text on a light background or dark-colored text on a dark background is difficult to see.

In addition, do not use color as the only means of conveying information. For example, do not say “Take note of the text in red.” Instead, make the text red and bold, and then say “Take note of the text in red and bold.” This ensures that the text will be accessible to those who are colorblind.

Lists

Use PowerPoints’s built-in formatting options to create bulleted or numbered lists. Using the built-in formatting options ensures that screen reading software will read the content in the correct order and identify structured text from body text.

Animations

Keep animations to a minimum. Avoid using blinking or flashing animations.

Hyperlinks

Use descriptive text for hyperlinks. Avoid writing “Click here for more information.” Instead, write “See Majors and Programs for more information.” Descriptive hyperlink text provides context that allows people who use screen reading software to sort through links. (For documents that might be printed, full URLs can be included within the text body or at the end of the document.)

Videos

Disable autoplay for embedded videos.

Accessibility checker

Before sharing your documents, run the accessibility checker. However, please note that the accessibility checker might not pick up all accessibility issues. It should be used as a supplementary tool.